The Etiquette of Holiday fics

[geoviki]

Like all the rest of you, I'm delighting in the reams and reams of new stories and art (and this year's art is especially terrific!). There's the granddaddy, merry_smutmas, and then others like harry_holidays, hd_holidays, smutty_claus, lupin_snape.... an embarrassment of riches!

As we are encouraging each other as writers and artists, I'm trying to leave feedback as well. One thing that caught my notice, though, has left me feeling uneasy, and I wondered what your views are: In your opinion, is it uncouth to leave concrit that's negative on a fest fic? (Disclosure: this is not anything that's happened regarding my own fic, just other folk's.)

I don't see the author requesting any, for one thing. Personally, I won't do it, but then I never leave anything less than praise unless I'm asked specifically and privately. If I don't like something, I just pass it by. Which unfortunately is the same response to something I've not yet read, so the writer is never sure if I'm unhappy or just behind (if the writer even cares what I think), but there you go.

But IMHO, these stories are gifts. And I can't see criticising a gift. Am I over-sensitive? What do you authors and artists think?

Comments

[ceilidh]

I think it's tacky to concrit a gift fic in public, mostly because of the recipient's feelings than anything to do with the author. If you want to concrit a gift fic, do it in email to the author. You could be spoiling the recipient's fun by publically broadcasting your oh-so-helpful concrit. (you = random fic concritter, not you = geoviki!)

I think it's extremely, incredibly tacky to concrit a gift fic in an anonymous exchange, especially while the author is still anonymous! I have seen pages of self-righteous commentary on certain Smutmas fics taking place on various livejournals, and the only thing I can think of that's tackier is actually doing it on the fic post itself. Most authors who are amenable to concrit would actually like to respond to that concrit, but they can't for possibly a month or more if it's an anon fest. If you're just chomping at the bit to concrit, write up your concrit and then SAVE IT and email it to the author after they can claim it as theirs.

The only time I feel it's appropriate to concrit a fic written for you as a gift is if it's clear the person clearly disregarded your prompt. If you say 'no bondage please' and there is bondage, well, I would probably call that out. (in PRIVATE email with the author.) I would never criticize something other than blatant disregard of your requests, because for all you know, your fic could have been a pinch hit done by a very gracious person at the extreme last minute because the person who was supposed to write for you dropped out.

[ravenclaw-devi.livejournal.com]

Well, technically, the authors could respond while still anonymous in the form of doing an anon-reply stating, "Hello, I'm the author of this fic and..." They'd just have no way of proving that they actually are the author, and not some other anon who wants to make them look bad or what have you.

[ceilidh]

That's true, so it's an exchange that's probably better off taking place when the author can respond as themself..